Bookmarks carved using craft sticks or ice cream sticks are another example of the Old Carver’s Law: “Leave no wood un-carved.” As a boy whittling with a pocket knife, I often picked up discarded pop cycle sticks off the play ground to carve into toy rifles. In later years these same kind of sticks are carved into book marks as a souvenir novelty carving. Because of the direction of the grain of wood and its gnarly grain there is a limit of subjects that can be carved on the end of a craft stick. The photographs depict some designs such as ear of corn, acorn, pineapple, saw, flower, shoe and the latest edition of a chip carved quilt square. Read the rest of this entry »
Hobo Chance is the latest version of a hobo who in this case is wearing suspenders, sometimes called “braces” but is still an interesting character to study. Next row of photographs will be Whittle Dwarfs who are carved out of inch square by an inch and half block of basswood and finished with Howard Feed N Wax. And finally there is a photograph of knife blade covers to round out this edition of “Bits and Pieces.” Read the rest of this entry »
Spocane Tommy follows the tradition of all hobos as being a traveling man. Hobos were originally itinerant farm laborers who traveled the country side carrying their hoe and their goods wrapped up in a bindle bag. These “hoe boys” became “hobos” who traveled to look for work wherever they could find a job. Read the rest of this entry »
Crusty Sam is carved from a two and half inch by and inch square block of basswood with a Murray 529 knife. Bud Murray (1490 Thunder Mountain Road, Camdenton, MO 65020 or wjmurray@dam.net or 573-346-7321) makes this style of knife for me. Bud has been custom making knives and carving tools for a good number of years of top quality. The blade shape is one that I have developed over the years for the most efficient slicing action. The handle is an extension of Bud’s palm handle design for his custom made carving tools which also fits my hand comfortably. Four views of Crusty Sam show off the results of Whittle-Carving using the Murray 529 knife.
The first annual Buckeye Woodcarving Round Up is now history. July 27-30, 2011 were the dates of four days of woodcarving classes held at the Poor Farmer’s RV Camp near Fletcher, Ohio. Over 100 registered carvers circulated among a dozen classes and purchased supplies from three vendors. The random photographs that follow taken by photographer Don Stephenson show scenes from some of the class sessions in the main assembly hall. Lunch and evening meals were available followed by mini classes for three evenings. Students came from Canada, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. The cost was a twenty dollar registration fee and an amount for the carving project as students could chose which class or classes to attend each day. All seemed to agree that this was a fun event and look forward to next year’s Round Up – – July 25-28, 2012.
Sean Reynolds is a very enthusiastic budding carver who is so eager to learn and is growing in his carving experience. So much so that he experienced a tendonitis in his wrist that side lined his carving activities for awhile but is now back at it by pacing himself in a healthy manner. He is developing an inner eye to see within a block of wood what needs to be carved away to set free the image hiding inside the wood.
The following photographs are examples of his advancement and growth in the carving pursuits. And besides that he is fun to talk with about the wonderful world of wood carving as evidenced by the many friends he has made on the Wood Carving Illustrated Forum. Whenever he visits me from time to time for a carving chat and carving session his eagerness indicated that he has been bitten by the “carving bug.”
Egg Noggins are carved out of basswood hen eggs to depict a caricature face. This photo journey are of recent “Noggins” carved for instructional purposes of the A-B-C’s of Face Carving. Each is finished with Howard Feed N Wax to bring the carved wood surface to life.
